Scared Silent

know this to release your voice

This week’s blog is dedicated to the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a woman of towering intellect, compassion, and fortitude who carved a new path for women and men in her vision of expanding the meaning of “We the People” in the Constitution. She may have been quiet in the spoken word but her voice was mighty powerful. Rest easy now Ruth. It is time for us to take up the mantle and continue the work.

There are so many times in our lives when we stay quiet.

We hold our tongues…and our opinions and in the process mute our voices and our impact in the world.

How many times have you done so in an effort to…

keep the peace

keep your sanity

keep safe, or

keep from being criticized or judged or dismissed.

We’ve all done it from time to time…and sometimes too often.

And each time we do it we rationalize within our minds a million reasons why.

It seems to make perfect sense given our thinking in the moment.

But take a deeper look.

How many times have we scared ourselves into silence by imagining a frightening or uncertain future or reimagining an embarassing incident from our past?

What if there was only the present moment?

No past. No future.

Just this moment.

Untarnished by thoughts and memories of past or future.

IN FACT…

There IS only now. This moment. Right here.

And knowing this, we also know that we cannot be our past because there is only the now. And we cannot be our imagined future because there is only the now.

IN FACT…

We are reborn in each moment.

Endowed with all of the brilliance, wisdom, clarity and creativity of a settled mind unencumbered by the innocently imagined identities, insecurities and fears that are either dragged forward from a past that doesn’t exist or pulled backwards from a future that doesn’t exist.

Underneath all of our busy thinking lies a peaceful mind and a clear voice, ready to contribute and be heard.

It’s there.

Listen for it.